Doggy Diets: No (Lazy) Bones About It

Looks like someone's diet could use a little revamping.

So Fido's looking a little, well, fluffy lately? He just needs a your help to get his weight back on track. Forget those crash diets, fad diets and diet pills (what's next, doggy lipo?).

We'll take a look at some methods and approaches for lowering your dog's weight and keeping him healthy through effective food and fitness plans.

HOW TO TELL IF FIDO'S OVERWEIGHT

Feel his ribs. There should be a thin layer of fat there. If the fat feels thick (meaning, you start asking, "Wait, where'd his ribs go?"), your dog is overweight. Obese dogs will also have a heavy layer of fat not just over the ribs, but - ready? - also over the spine and around the tail with possibly a protruding abdomen and fat deposits throughout the body.

Even if you think a little tummy pouch is kind of cute on your pooch, overweight dogs face several obesity-related conditions than can affect their health. From diabetes to cardiovascular disease to orthopedic problems, you certainly don't want intervention to come too late. Good thing you're starting now!

FOOD PLANS

First things first: examine your feeding habits. Do you find yourself slipping Fido some table scraps at each meal, feeding him whenever he "looks" hungry or loading him up with treats for being such a good dog? Sounds like you may be helping him tip the scales. Many dog owners are simply overfeeding their pets, but don't worry, your dog isn't locked into a life of being carried up stairs and losing toys underneath his Jabba-the-Hut-like layers.

Two approaches to mealtime:

Smaller portions, more often. One thing you can do to help manage your pet's weight is to spread out his meals throughout the day rather than one big meal all at once. Take the normal portion you serve and section it out into 2-4 daily feedings. This will help better utilize the calories and keep the dog's hunger under control.

Less food overall. If you find that your pet simply isn't losing weight with the first method, this could mean that your pet's daily intake is too high overall. First, record your dog's pre-diet weight. Then reduce your pet's daily ration by one-third. After two weeks, weigh the dog again - if he's lost even a little weight, you're on the right track! Otherwise, reduce the current amount by another third, and keep monitoring your pet's weight until he starts shedding some pounds.

Pick good pet foods. Some dogs lose weight when they are being fed weight management/low calorie dog food. What you might not know is that other dogs actually gainweight on these diets! We know, it's madness. But how can this happen? Well, to reduce the calories, these foods must have restricted fat levels. This actually increases carbohydrate percentages, which stimulates Insulin secretion, which tells the body to store unused calories as (drum roll, please...) FAT. If you find that low calorie dog food isn't helping, you might want to look for dog foods that are high in protein - which isn't stored as fat - and low in carbohydrates. Meat-based diets do the trick, so check dog food labels to see if meat, not corn, is the first ingredient listed. List of dog food ingredients in all brands.